1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of containers for holding palettes or other items which limit the drying of paint thereon.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An artist typically applies different colored paints to a palette from tubes of paint. The artist then transfers the paint from the palette to the painting which may take several days to complete. The paint placed on the palette is subjected to drying over a period of time and thus the artist is required to apply additional amounts of the same color to the palette. The paint is quite expensive thereby adding to the overall cost of the paint utilized to complete the work. In certain cases, the paints applied to the palette may consist of a number of different colored paints mixed together thereby providing a unique color. Once the combination of paints has been applied to the palette and the resultant combination dries, it becomes difficult for the artist to arrive at the same color combination in order to complete the work. The solution of the problem has been to provide containers that enclose the palette in an air tight space minimizing the drying of the paint.
One such enclosure for storing a palette having an oxygen scavenging material is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,555,974. Within the enclosure is provided a packet of oxygen scavenging material for preventing polymerization of the oil based paint on the palette. An oxygen absorbent packet is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,814. An alternate approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,885,843 wherein a humidifier for a palette includes a plastic container to create a moist and lowered temperature atmosphere within the storage compartment for preventing the paints from untimely drying and hardening during and between uses. Another approach is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,350 wherein the system uses a liner and incorporates a catalyst disposed between an oxygen permeable barrier and a water absorbent backing member. The closure may be perforated to allow the water to escape. Despite the prior approaches, the paint on palettes continue to dry with no ultimate solution provided to the aforementioned problem.
When a palette is placed within an enclosure, the enclosure typically includes air which includes oxygen gas as its major constituent. The oxygen within the air is the principal agent that causes the paint to dry on the palette. Thus, some of the prior art devices utilize oxygen scavenging methods. The prior art devices typically utilize specially constructed packets of material to scavenge the gas from within the palette container. As these specially ordered materials are used, there is a need for replenishment requiring special ordering thereof. The device disclosed herein utilizes common household materials thereby facilitating the ease of replenishment thereof.
Disclosed herein is a further approach that obtains superior results by minimizing the oxygen within the enclosure holding the palette. Oxygen is driven from the enclosure by a heavier gas that results from activation of materials placed within the enclosure.
Likewise, it is desirable to prevent oil based paint from drying on other works, such as sculptures, etc., while the work is in the process of being completed. Thus, the present container may be used for holding any item while limiting the paint from drying.